Full-time MBA Admissions

The Foster MBA Program selects individuals with the highest potential for achievement in the management profession—those who have demonstrated the capacity for high-quality academic work, who possess strong written and verbal communication skills, and who will contribute to the diversity of the student body and the ranks of professional leaders.

You may save your information and return as often as you’d like until you submit your completed application. All aspects of your application, including the fulfillment of these requirements, are subject to verification.

Two essays are required and must be uploaded to your online application. The optional essay allows you to tell us more about yourself or explain an area of potential concern.

Essay 1: Post-MBA Plans (750 words maximum)
Tell us your ideas about what lies ahead for you in your career. What are the gaps or deficiencies currently preventing you from pursuing these potential career paths? How do you plan to use your time in the Foster MBA program to fill these gaps and advance your career?

Essay 2: Inspiring Experience Essay (500 words maximum)
Tell us about an experience that inspired or confirmed your decision to pursue the MBA.

Essay 3: Optional essay (500 words maximum)
Include this essay if you have additional information you believe would be helpful to the admissions committee in considering your application.

Outline your work experience in reverse chronological order. Be sure to include company name, a brief description of the organization (or a web address), your job title, and detailed information about your responsibilities and achievements.

Feel free to use up to three pages for your resume, and include all significant work experience since graduating from high school. Include educational background as well as your activities and community involvement.

Two recommendation letters are required; however, you are permitted to submit up to three. Preferably, recommendations should be provided by professional contacts rather than academic or personal contacts. Designate your recommenders in your online application profile. Recommenders will receive an email directing them to the online recommendation form.

These tests are offered year-round and can be taken multiple times. Scores are valid for five years and there is no departmental preference for the GMAT or GRE exam. Take the test as early as possible to allow time to retest if necessary. The GMAT or GRE must be completed by the application deadline. If you have taken a test more than once, the admissions committee will use your highest total score to evaluate your application.

You must have completed the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university to be considered for admission. Transcripts are required for all undergraduate and graduate-level institutions attended. You are not required to complete academic courses in any particular topics to be eligible for admission. An academic background in business is not required. Consistency in achievement is considered, but more weight is given to the last two years of study and courses within your academic area of focus.

Required Format for All Transcripts
Do not send official transcripts to our office via mail. Scan copies of your original transcripts in PDF file format and upload them to the online application. Make sure to include any transcript keys that describe the institution’s grading scale. These are typically found on the back side of most domestic transcripts.

Self-generated online grade reports or versions that have been cut and pasted into a Word document will not be accepted.

The following information must be on all transcripts:

Full name of applicant (former names are acceptable if indicated on application)

Name of degree-granting institution

Title(s) of academic degree(s) awarded

Dates of enrollment, including date of graduation/degree conferral

Names of individual courses

Grades, marks, or ratings of individual courses

International transcripts must include official English translations

Both marks sheets and degree statements are required, if applicable

Please note: Official transcripts sent directly from institutions are required only after an offer of admission is accepted by the applicant.

GPA Requirements
Applicants should review our Class Profile for GPA averages for admitted students. Although Foster does not have a minimum requirement, a GPA of 3.0 (B) or better is generally the standard we look for in a competitive candidate. We holistically review all aspects of your application when making an admissions decision. Should your GPA fall below a 3.0 average, we closely evaluate your performance on the GMAT or GRE, as well as other aspects of your application, to assess your ability to succeed academically in our program. If you have specific concerns related to your undergraduate GPA, please contact one of our admissions counselors to discuss your questions.

Reporting your Grade Point Average
The Graduate School Application asks applicants to report their Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 0.0 – 4.0 scale for the last 90 quarter or 60 semester graded credits. Specific instructions are provided on the Graduate School Application for converting and calculating your GPA if your university was not on such a system, and for converting from an international grading system to a 4.0 scale. Please read and follow the instructions carefully for converting your GPA to a 4.0 scale to complete this question. If you’d like to assess your GPA ahead of applying, the application refers applicants to the Foreign Credits website, and to use the GPA calculator for this process.

Please note, if you attended a university that does not grade courses or provide a GPA, check the “I do not have a GPA” box.

Proficiency in English is required for admission to a graduate program at the University of Washington. If your native language is not English, you are required to demonstrate English language proficiency in one of the following ways:

Bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or from an institution in Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, or the United Kingdom.

OR

Official documentation from the institution verifying that your undergraduate degree is from an institution (in a country other than those listed above) where all instruction is in English. The undergraduate degree must be equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree. Documentation must be presented to the University of Washington Graduate School. The Graduate School will determine grade equivalency and validate foreign transcripts.

OR

Complete the TOEFL exam. The minimum score requirement is 100 iBT / 600 PBT. TOEFL scores must be sent directly to the University of Washington (school code 4854). NOTE: Test scores are valid for two years.

All applicants will be asked to submit a video interview, and will receive an email within 3-4 business days after the application deadline to which they applied with instructions on recording the video interview. The video interview allows us to get to know you better and to assess your communication skills and your ability to think on your feet as we review your application and consider your candidacy.

Once applicants receive the video interview invitation via e-mail, they will have approximately 5-7 days to complete this requirement. The email will provide instructions on recording the video interview. Applicants can test their video and sound before recording their video interview, answer practice video interview questions, and ask for technical support if needed within the video interview system. The email instructions will include the deadline to submit the video interview, and applicants must complete this requirement in order for their application to remain under review.

The video interview must be submitted in order for the application to be reviewed. Applicants will be contacted if they are selected for an admissions interview later in the application review process.

A non-refundable application fee of $85 must be paid by credit card through the online application system.

Next Steps

Here’s what you can expect after you have submitted your application.

Admission Interview

Admission interviews are by invitation only and will be sent by email to select applicants within 4-6 weeks of the application deadline to which you applied. Interviews are conducted by Foster MBA Admissions staff and the interview invitation will provide instructions on how to schedule the interview. Interviews may take place on the University of Washington campus, in other select locations, or by Skype. In-person interviews are strongly preferred if the cost and effort are not unduly burdensome. If you are invited to interview, you must do so in order to remain under consideration for admission to the program.

Notification

If you submitted a complete application, including all supplementary materials, by one of the application deadlines, an admission decision will be sent to you via email no later than 5 p.m. on the above corresponding decision dates. All communication regarding the status of your application, including admission decisions, will be through email only.

Admitted Student Welcome Weekend

If you have been admitted to the MBA Program, you will be invited to attend Welcome Weekend—you need not have made the decision to attend Foster to take part! These events are intended to help you gain a deeper understanding of the program, meet potential classmates, connect with faculty and staff, and benefit from the perspectives of current Foster MBA students. Welcome Weekend dates for 2019: January 31-February 2 and April 25-27.

Visiting Graduate Student Applications

On a limited basis, we accept applications from individuals who meet the Visiting Graduate Student (VGS) requirements and are eligible to take MBA courses without being admitted as a degree-seeking student. Before applying, we strongly encourage all prospective applicants to make an appointment with a member of our admissions team to verify eligibility, and to discuss the application process and upcoming deadlines. The application deadline for applicants is approximately 6 weeks before the desired quarter of enrollment. For more information or to schedule an appointment email mba@uw.edu or call (206) 543-4661.